KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Starting on October 6, the Kalamazoo Gospel Ministries is changing how they do overnight emergency stays.
“We’ve always only had 80 beds for men and 60 beds for women. What we aren’t doing is pulling out mattresses on the floor anymore,” John Simpson, Chief Operating Officer, Kalamazoo Gospel Ministries, said.
This decision is for a number of reasons, according to the chief operating officer, Pastor John Simpson. Simpson explained that while they've seen a rise in people seeking overnight shelter, they've had availability in other programming that people experiencing homelessness can use.
"We’re saying, now go join one of these open beds in programming,” Simpson said.
It's also in the best interest of staff, says Simpson. He says reducing the ratio of people staying in the shelter to staff will allow for more meaningful conversations and help.
“When you’re working with 1 to 100 ratio, which is where we were at the height of this winter, you can’t have those conversations. You’re just trying to keep people safe, and you’re trying to keep people warm,” Simpson said.
He said in the last three years, they've seen a more than 150% increase need for overnight shelter for both men and women.
“If I had unlimited resources, right, and I could have unlimited staff, that could allow us to be able to have conversations with that unlimited number of people, then I would do that all day long. But we just don’t have those kinds of resources,” Simpson said.
